I’m glad to be back at my keyboard after handwriting the first part of this activity. In my everyday life, I both write by hand and use my laptop for typing, depending on the task. For any written work that needs to be submitted or read by others, I turn to my laptop and type it. For lesson planning and note taking, I use my iPad and Apple pencil to write by hand with the advantage that it is already digitalized and easy to manipulate. I enjoy that Goodnotes, the app I use on my iPad for lesson planning, spell-checks my handwritten notes and allows me to copy and paste and move chunks of my printing around.
Although I didn’t find this task difficult, I noticed that I needed to exercise a lot of focus, which was a lot slower than typing 500 words. It took me about an hour to complete the writing. It was considerably slower because I was not only thinking about what I would write but also concentrating more on the spelling, grammar and the actual act of forming the letters. When I type, I quickly get my thoughts out and then go back to fix spelling and grammar, usually with the assistance of the program I am typing in. There is no concern about making a mistake and being unable to fix it. Being out of practice with cursive, I found my hand cramping up, and by the end, I really needed to concentrate on fine motor movements.
In terms of editing, I’ll admit I did have a draft to organize my thoughts and ensure I had everything the way I wanted. The most common mistake I made for this copy was the formation of letters, particularly n and m. To fix mistakes, I used a blue pen eraser (a tool that lifts ink from the page) to correct errors before rewriting over them.
After completing this task, I started questioning how the means of producing text influence thought processes and learning. With handwriting, I think before I write, but with typing, it almost happens simultaneously, and when I am done typing, I go back and refine my thinking. I am not sure which is better, but perhaps it depends on the purpose of the activity. There is something to be said about how writing legibility with pen and paper slows down the process. It could be argued that this is beneficial for thinking, forcing the writer to take the time and be more careful with their thinking. However, at the same time, typing, if you are proficient at it, allows for a fast, non-stop flow of thought that can later be easily edited.
As I reflected on the cognitive aspects of handwriting vs. typing, I came across some interesting research that sheds light on how these two processes engage the brain differently. The experiment used EEG data from 36 university students under two conditions – writing words in cursive or typing the words. It was found “that whenever handwriting movements are included as a learning strategy, more of the brain gets stimulated, resulting in the formation of more complex neural network connectivity. It appears that the movements related to typewriting do not activate these connectivity networks the same way that handwriting does” (Weel et al., 2023, p. 7). As a primary teacher interested in the science of learning, these findings are incredibly relevant to my teaching practices.
References:
Van der Weel, F R Ruud, & Van der Meer, Audrey L H. (2023). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: A high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1219945-1219945. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945